7 Small Bathroom Tile Ideas to Create a More Spacious Look
Tile Ideas to Transform Your Small Bathroom
Tired of carrying out your morning routine in a cramped cave? We’ve rounded up 7 small bathroom tile ideas that will make even the tiniest space feel bigger, brighter and more luxurious. While these aren’t the only things you’ll need to do to make a small bathroom remodel a success, they’re essential components that you can’t afford to pass up. Here’s how to tile your way to an un-tiny bathroom:
Small Bathroom Tile Idea #1: Choose Large Tiles
For a small bathroom, choose large rectangular tiles over the traditional small square options. The smaller the tile, the more grout lines you’ll have, and the more grout lines you have, the more you break up the space, making it appear smaller. When you choose large tiles, you create a smaller number of long grout lines which draw the eye smoothly, making the room feel bigger.
Small Bathroom Tile Idea #2: Install Your Tiles Vertically
Breaking the horizontal tile tradition is a great way to add a sense of space to a small bathroom. When you lay large tiles vertically, you draw the eye upwards, creating the illusion of greater height, which is one of the easiest ways to make a room feel larger. This concept is even starting to gain traction in spaces that don’t need help looking bigger. So, on top of making your small bathroom feel less cramped, tiling vertically will create a stylish atmosphere that’s poised to stand the test of time.
Small Bathroom Tile Idea #3: Tile into the Shower
If you really want to get the most space out of a small bathroom remodel, it’s time to ditch your bathtub and convert to a walk-in shower. Once you’ve done this, you can continue your flooring tiles into the shower uninterrupted. Those unbroken lines, combined with a beautiful clear glass shower door, will instantly make even the smallest bathroom feel larger and more luxurious.
Small Bathroom Tile Idea #4: Go for Shine
For a small bathroom remodel, choose glass tiles to increase the amount of light in the room. Surfaces that reflect light make a room feel wider and airier. A glass shower door or clear shower curtain will help you maximize this effect, making the room feel even larger.
Small Bathroom Tile Idea #5: Match Your Floor to Your Walls
Even colors that would complement each other beautifully in a larger space will create a cramped feeling in a small space by preventing your eye from traveling fluidly around the room. To create the kind of uninterrupted flow that makes a room feel bigger, select a light, preferably neutral, tile color, and use that same color on both the walls and the floor (continuing the floor into the shower). If you can’t tile all the way to the ceiling, make sure to match your tile and paint color.
Small Bathroom Tile Idea #6: Create a Design Along the Ceiling
A decorative pattern along the ceiling will draw the eye upwards, making the room feel taller and therefore larger. This is also a great way to add interest to the muted color palette that works best for a small bathroom remodel without neutralizing its effect.
Small Bathroom Tile Idea #7: Trick the Eye with Tones
If your bathroom is long and narrow, you can add a greater sense of depth with this tile idea: cover the shorter walls with tile in a shade slightly lighter than the longer walls. The contrast will be small enough not to be jarring, but noticeable enough to create the illusion of a wider space.
Ready to start transforming your bathroom?
Check out our Guide on How to Tile Your Bathroom!
Bonus Tips for Your Small Bathroom Remodel
Using some combination of these small bathroom tile ideas can’t fail to add a sense of space and airiness to formerly cramped quarters. But we’ve got a few additional tips to really get the most out of your remodel.
Install a New Toilet
Older toilets generally take up more space than is really necessary. Many of the toilets on the market today are specifically designed to be less bulky. As an added plus, new toilets will almost always use less water than your current model, which can save you a nice chunk of change on your annual water bill.
Install a Floating Vanity
The more a person can see of a room, the larger it will seem. So, instead of keeping your traditional vanity, which rests on the floor, consider removing it and installing a floating vanity. Floating vanities are stylish, on-trend, and because you can see under them, they create an illusion of greater space in a small bathroom. If the floating look doesn’t suit your tastes, you can create a similar illusion of space by replacing your traditional vanity with one that rests on legs—a charming and unique choice for a small bathroom remodel.
Looking to make a change to your small bathroom?
Check out our DIY Bathroom Remodel Guide!
If these small bathroom tile ideas have inspired you to get to work transforming your space, we’re here to help you clean up once the job is done. Find an affordable dumpster rental near you to make cleaning up old tiles, discarded tubs, outdated vanities, old-hat toilets, and all the rest of your remodeling mess a quick and easy process.
Looking for More Ways to Upgrade Your Bathroom?
Check out our guides on how to spruce up the bathrooms in your home:
